"Songs Of Thanksgiving"
Mrs. Brown, Lucy's elderly neighbor, had a little yellow canary in a shiny brass cage. .Lucy loved to listen as the bird fluttered around, pecking seeds and singing his happy songs. Mrs. Brown said she guessed the bird sang because he was thankful. "You know, Lucy," she said in her scratchy voice, "the Bible says, 'When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the Lord your God.' That's Deuteronomy 8:10." Mrs. Brown had a Bible verse for almost everything, even happy canaries.
Lucy perched on a high stool, listening while the little bird poured cheerful notes into the bright sunny kitchen. "Mrs. Brown," said Lucy thoughtfully, "at our house we don't always pray before we eat. Sometimes Dad calls and says he'll be late, so Mom fixes a tray for me so I can eat in the family room while she feeds Brandon in his high chair."
Mrs. Brown's smile softened the directness of her reply."Well, no matter where you're eating, you can thank God for your supper. The Bible says we're not to forget His benefits to us." Lucy didn't answer, so Mrs. Brown asked, "Do you remember the story about Jesus healing the ten lepers -- and only one returned to thank Him?"
"Yes", Lucy nodded.
"Even Jesus seemed surprised that the others forgot, didn't He?" asked Mrs. Brown. She looked at the bird cage. "No one has to remind my canary to sing -- he just naturally does that. Do you suppose he's trying to teach us to sing songs of thanksgiving?"
Lucy saw the old lady's blue eyes twinkle behind her glasses. .She knew that the sweet smile and contented manner reflected a thankful heart. "Because I practice giving thanks to God every day, Lucy, I've found that a prayer of thanksgiving has become as natural as a canary's song," added Mrs. Brown. "I believe God wants us to learn a lesson from this little teacher."
"I'll remember," Lucy promised with a smile. "Wait till I tell Mom and Dad that I had a lesson from a canary! They'll be surprised."
HOW ABOUT YOU?
Does thanksgiving come naturally to you? Do you remember to thank the Lord every day for His "benefits" to you -- your blessings? The Bible teaches us to be thankful always, not only on Thanksgiving Day. Be sure you are -- and be sure to tell Him.
TODAY'S KEY VERSE:Psalm 103:2 (NIV)
Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits. Taken from Keys for Kids Devotional 11-23-2000